Obituary of Pierre Louis Foucaud

Pierre Louis Emile Foucaud died in the early hours of Monday, January 25th 2016, at Southern Ocean County Hospital, at the age of 83. They say that at the end of a life, you are supposed to draw the line and sum up the total. But how do you sum up a life of a man? A man who did not aspire to achieve some great fame and riches or leave behind inscribed buildings, but a regular man, a good man, a family man. Many of you have only known him as an older man, Paul and Elena's dad, grandpa Pierre with his French accent, who did not necessarily have his wife's stamina to keep up with the very active kids or the perfectly sunny disposition. But he had lived a life full of adventures that are bursting out of old photo albums. Born January 12th 1933, in Fort de France, Martinique, to father Henry and mother Louise, Pierre spent his childhood on this beautiful French Caribbean island. Many will fondly remember his stories of various island adventures with his beloved cousins. "Pierrot" was often barefoot and even more often in trouble, but from a very young age he learned the importance of family. He would help his mom while his father was traveling, and he adored his little sister Nelly. Pierre sailed with his family back and forth to America several times, finally settling in New York City with relatives as a teenager. It was not an easy transition for a skinny, shy kid with limited English. But he dreamt of a better life, and at all of 19 (and 129 lbs), Pierre signed up to serve in the US Navy. He spent 4 years on active duty there, first on USS Midway and then USS Yorktown, traveling around the globe twice. He met some of his best mates for life there, who he kept in touch with for over 60 years. This is also where he learned about refrigeration repair, which then became his career for the next 40 years at GE. There was not a refrigerator or freezer he couldn't figure out how to fix, and his politeness, promptness and care toward his customers were unparalleled. Of course they all loved his accent. In 1971, at a barbeque in Caldwell NJ, Pierre met the love of his life, Helen. He won her over with his French charm and gorgeous hair, and kept her love through the next 45 years with his unwavering love, loyalty and support for her and their family. He worked hard to provide for all of them, and his children Paul and Elena were the apples of his eye. Pierre had waited for these children for a long time and his love and pride for them was boundless. He was there for every marching band performance, Boy Scout outing and cross country meet, often taking pictures and videos, which he then meticulously arranged in photo albums. Pierre enjoyed family get-togethers, especially holidays celebrated with his sister Nelly and brother-in-law Joe and nephew Craig Hermann. He had an eye for beautiful things and masterfully decorated Easter eggs. For many years of living in their Caldwell apartment, Pierre would recreate a fireplace with all the Christmas trimmings. He loved food, eating it and cooking it (anyone who's tasted his tomato salad has to admit it's world's best), and pretty much everything had butter. A true fan of desserts, he greatly appreciated his wife's baking. A little bit of Southern Comfort with some nice easy music, and he was happy in his recliner. One of the biggest tenets in Pierre's life was his deep Christian faith and he found great comfort in the Catholic Church, through both sad and happy times. He was an active member of St. Al's parish in Caldwell for 30 years and then St. Mary's in Manahawkin, and was very proud to raise his children to be active in the church as well. His patron saint was Father Andre of Quebec, who he would regularly consult with on all kinds of family matters. Pierre himself was not a saint, with the French charm came occasional temper as well (as a matter of fact there is a story of how he once got annoyed with one of the kids and drove into a church shed). But truly a good and humble man, he trusted God to guide him to make the best possible decisions. After their retirement, Pierre and Helen moved from Caldwell to Manahawkin, where Pierre enjoyed the Jersey Shore. He loved everything about the ocean and the summer sun, and he was happy to live so close to the beach. He spent time puttering in his garden and updating his remarkable stamp collections. Over the past year, he enjoyed his son Paul's lake cabin and had lots of ideas and suggestions on how to improve it. Our last family picture is from a fun weekend spent there. In his last decade, Pierre was proud to see his kids start their own families and he welcomed 5 beautiful grandchildren. His 4 princesses Magdalena, Lilliana, Abigail and Kaitlyn were his treasures , and he had a special bond with his grandson Henry (including the matching Foucaud hair). Even though he couldn't always keep up with them physically, grandpa Pierre was there for every milestone, and loved being with the family for birthdays and holidays. He was as excited as they were every Christmas morning, opening his new Hess truck and checking out all the latest gadgets. They will remember his stories and little jokes he would play on them, and his ability to fix anything. So maybe that is the sum of this life. Pierre will live on in his grandkids' shared memories. We are proud to have known him, loved him and called him our husband, dad, grandpa, father-in-law, uncle, neighbor, friend. We will miss you greatly Pierre, adieu! Relatives and friends are invited to visit with family at the Codey & Jones Funeral Home, 54 Roseland Avenue, Caldwell, NJ 07006 (973-226-6696) on Thursday, January 28th from 4 – 8 pm. Family and friends will meet at St. Mary of the Pines R.C. Church, 100 Bishop Way, Manahawkin, NJ 08050 where a Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, January 29th at 11:30am. The interment will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery in Manahawkin. To share a condolence or a memory, please visit www.codeyjonesfh.com. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Mary of the Pines Church or the Stafford First Aid Squad.